1. Muay Thai

Thailand

The national sport of Thailand is similar to kickboxing, but unlike its close relative, blows below the belt, elbows and knees are all legal. Like many martial arts, it’s unclear exactly when Muay Thai was born, mainly because many of its elements are common in both Japanese and Indian counterparts. It gained huge popularity in Thailand in the late 1800s, but has seen a significant surge in popularity across the world in the last decade. The sport traditionally was very structured, with fighters performing strict, choreographed displays of respect before each bout. More recently, it has become focused on the body’s many weapons, including fists, feet, shins, knees, and more, to defeat an opponent. Muay Thai is valuable because it teaches its followers that almost every body part can be a weapon.